May the Force be WITSEC
by roar526
Summary: Mary, Marshall, a crazy witness and lots of Star Wars. A fun ficlet inspired by National Star Wars Day and my first attempt at a one-shot. Rating is for language.


**This is just a fun fic that was inspired by today being National Star Wars Day, at least according to what was circulating on the internet, and my longing to try my hand at a one-shot. No spoilers beyond what we've seen through current episodes and thanks to bujyo for reading it through for me.**

**May the Force be WITSEC**

_Albuquerque, present day_

Mary laid the package on Marshall's desk as she made her way out of the office, knowing he would be the first one to arrive in the morning. Everyone else was long gone and she was the last to leave, as she had been for the past week.

As she rode the elevator to the ground floor, she thought about how she had finally gotten her house back to herself now that Raph had moved all of his things out, Jinx was working and Brandi had gone off to NJ. The only thing was, she had no desire to sit in her empty house, thinking about them all. At least at the office, she could pretend to be distracted by other things.

"Brandi," the name escaped her lips in a huff along with the air from her lungs. She had told her little sister that she wouldn't hover, but it was really hard not to worry when it seemed that Brandi was avoiding everyone's calls. She didn't know how much more she could take before hopping a flight to New Jersey to find her.

_Minneapolis, MN, one year ago_

"So what's this guy's deal again?" Mary asked as they disembarked at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

"He's your witness," Marshall drawled. "Did you even bother to read the file?"

"I read it, smartass," she snapped back as she pushed him for good measure. "It was just so boring I can't seem retain any of it."

"Well it's a good thing you can b.s. with the best of them."

She stopped and put her hands on her hips as she looked after him. "And why's that?"

Turning to face her, he motioned behind him with his head, "Because the welcoming committee has arrived."

Mary scowled as she looked past Marshall at the two men standing near security, everything about them screaming '_look at me, I'm a federal agent.' _"Great, more FBI pricks," she mumbled so that only Marshall could hear, as she walked past him.

After allowing Marshall to handle the introductions, they were led to a standard government issued SUV. It only took a single look from Mary to make the younger Agent abandon any thought of taking the front seat. He smiled weakly at Marshall, who tried desperately to stifle a laugh, as he joined him in the back seat.

Once on the road, she knew Marshall was mentally mapping the route from the airport, so she pretended to turn her attention to Agent Warner who was proceeding to tell her even more boring details about the case than were in the file.

"I'm well aware of Mr. Schaeffer's circumstances," Mary said, holding up a hand to stop the drivel. "What I want to know is if there is anything we need to know that isn't in the file."

The driver looked over at her, as if confused, before turning back to the road. Mary glared and looked back at Marshall for help, but he just shrugged and continued to memorize the landscape as they neared their destination. Marshall knew he'd probably pay for it later, but he also knew that every once in awhile Mary needed a refresher in dealing with other people.

"What I would like to know," she proceeded to say to Agent Warner, "is if you've observed anything that we should know about." Feeling that she still may need to clarify, she added, "Strange behavior? Odd habits?"

This time it was Agent Warner's turn to exchange a look with this partner before stating, "We're just here tying up any loose on the case before the witness is moved. I think that's a question you need to ask the Marshals that have been protecting him since they're the ones that have spent the most time with him."

The exchange between the partners and the response caught Marshall's attention as well and he shared a look with Mary, both knowing that there was definitely something that they weren't being told.

There was a Marshal waiting for them when they arrived and Agents Warner and Evans said their goodbyes as Mary and Marshall climbed out of the SUV, choosing not to accompany them into the safe house.

"What's with those guys?" Mary inquired of Inspector Jenkins as she watched them drive away.

"They're FBI," he deadpanned.

Mary smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I like you already, Jenkins. Now, let's go check out our boy." And with that, Mary turned on her heels and headed for the house.

Marshall noticed Jenkins hanging back and looked at him, raising an eyebrow in question. But before he could respond, Mary's voice boomed back at them.

"Well, quit pussyfooting and a get a move on already."

Giving Jenkins an apologetic look, Marshall followed Mary into the house with Jenkins trotting after them.

Just inside the door, Mary stopped short causing Marshall to quickly step around her to avoid knocking her off balance.

"What the…" Marshall began, but he never finished his thought. His eyes had followed Mary's and he was now staring silently with her at the sight across the room.

Mary wouldn't have thought much about the man's clothing if he hadn't been leaping about the room swinging the broom handle around like a sword. She looked over at the second man in the room, who then made his way over to them.

"I don't know what got into him. I mean, we knew he was a little odd, a little too into the sci fi stuff, but then he got up this morning and has been like this ever since. We were going to call in about a psych evaluation, but we knew you were on the way and decided to wait."

"This is my partner, Inspector Moore," Jenkins said to a wide-eyed Mary and Marshall.

"Jesus f'ning Christ," Mary cursed, finally coming out of her stupor. "There is no way in hell this guy is going to be able to testify. He needs to be in the nut house, not witness protection."

Just then, Christopher Schaeffer, who had been mumbling something unintelligible, made his way across the room and as he did, his words became clearer.

"…to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship…"

"…custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy," recited Marshall, finishing Chris's monologue with a big smile as the other three Inspector's looked at him as if he had three heads.

Mary glared at Marshall a moment before raising her hand and smacking him on the back of his head. "Stop encouraging him, numbnuts. Just what I need, another damn trekker."

"Trekkie," said the four men in the room in unison and if Mary could have killed each and every one of them with a look, she would have.

"No, it's not Star Trek," Marshall interjected, "its Star Wars. Today is National Star Wars Day." He puffed his chest out triumphantly as Christopher nodded excitedly.

"Of course you would know that," she said irritated as she tried to ignore the stupid boyish grin on her partner's face.

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together," the witness said, broomstick still in hand.

"You must learn the ways of the Force," Marshall said, reaching out and taking the broom away, "if you're to come with me to Albuquerque."

"Albuquerque." Chris repeated with a Midwestern accent. "You're taking me to Albuquerque?"

"I'm afraid so, young Jedi."

Mary was fuming when she found out that they weren't going to be able to get a flight back to Albuquerque until the next day. There was no way they were all going to make it back alive if she had to spend an entire night listening to Marshall and Chris discuss every useless piece of trivia about the trilogy as they watched all three films, in order.

"Stan," Mary whined into the phone, "you can't tell me there's no money for one lousy, cheap motel room in Bumfuck, Minneapolis?"

"Sorry, Mary, no can do," Stan said, holding his ground; something that was much easier to do with Mary over the phone. "Besides, money isn't the issue. You have both been assigned to this case and you cannot leave your partner alone. Someone needs to be on alert 24/7."

"But, Stan…"

"No buts, Inspector," Stan ordered. "The only butt that is on the line is yours, so I would highly recommend that you **not** disobey a direct order. Goodnight, Inspector."

The line went dead and Mary stared at the phone a moment before grabbing the pillow and covering her head. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Marshall came through the door in a matter of seconds wanting to know what was wrong.

"I'm surprised you heard that above the movie and the sound of your own voice," she pouted as she threw the pillow at him.

"Aw, do you need a wookie, I mean, a woobie?" he baby talked as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Real funny, asswipe. Don't plan on quitting your day job."

"Never! I'll never turn to the Dark Side," Marshall said dramatically as he fell back on the bed next to her.

"Oh my God, enough already!" she shouted as she elbowed him in the ribs.

"Okay, okay." They laid there in silence a moment, staring up at the ceiling. "We're just having a little fun, you know," he said softly. "The guys been through a lot and is just trying to hold onto something that makes him feel alive."

"And what's your excuse, Obi-Wan?" Mary asked sarcastically, turning on her side and propping her head on her elbow to look at him.

"You cannot escape your destiny," he responded as he locked eyes with her briefly before pulling himself up off the bed and heading toward the door. Looking back at her from the door, he smiled and said, "Put your headphones on and try to sleep. I've got tonight covered."

Mary did fall asleep with music in her ears, but that didn't stop her from dreaming about a particular Jedi in a galaxy far, far away.

In the end, the trip back to Albuquerque was not as horrific as Mary had imagined. It seemed that having someone to relate to had allowed Chris to reconnect with the world and come to terms with his situation. Not once during the entire flight was Star Wars, Star Trek or anything else related to the sci fi genre even mentioned.

She knew the reprieve was in part due to the fact that her partner dozed in his seat across the aisle, but she had a feeling that wasn't the only reason. So taking a deep breath, she began to not only talk to her witness, but listen to his answers as well.

Christopher Moran, as he was now known, would always be a geek obsessed with science fiction as far as Mary was concerned, but she also realized that there was more. He had a strength that she never would have believed if she hadn't seen it for herself as he testified against the well-known and highly respected politician that had had his best friend murdered for refusing to help rig ballots in the upcoming election and threatening to expose him.

Thanks to his amazing computer skills, Marshall was able to get Chris a job on the geek squad at the local Best Buy. It was something that Mary would never let either of them live down and not a visit went by that she didn't refer to them as such as they talked about the latest tech gadgets and quoted science fiction movies.

A few days before Chris's one year anniversary in the program, Mary met with Chris alone because Marshall was tied up trying to avoid an emergency relocation for one of his more difficult witnesses. The meeting was more formal than usual and Mary took notes for the yearly review that she would have to submit to Stan.

When they were done, Chris told Mary that he had a date with a girl from work. He said she was also a big Star Wars fan and had asked him to go with her to a screening of the trilogy for National Star Wars Day.

"Great. Just what we need around here, another member of the geek squad," she teased.

"Actually, she works in the home theater department," he deadpanned.

She glared at him a moment before bursting out laughing. He joined her and they spent another hour reminiscing about the day they met for the first time. As Mary confessed to him that she was ready to have him committed, she found herself missing Marshall and wishing he was there. Jumping up from the table, she told Chris to grab his coat and his employee discount card.

Marshall entered the office at 7:45am, same as he did almost every other day and did a double take as he made his way to his desk. Sure enough, there was a package on his desk and he smiled as he took in the Star Wars wrapping paper.

He took the envelope from the top of the package and opened it, his smile becoming a laugh as he read the words.

_M-_

_Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid._

_-M_

Carefully removing the wrapping, he put it aside as he opened the plain cardboard box. The first thing he pulled out was the Blu-ray Special Edition DVDs of the Star Wars Trilogy with a note attached.

_Keep looking._

Reaching into the box once more, he pulled out the plain brown packing paper to reveal something soft and as he pulled it out, he fell back in his chair in hysterics, glad no one else was in yet.

Mary strolled in around 8:30am. She was earlier than usual, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She noticed the package was gone from Marshall's desk and there was a bag which undoubtedly contained her breakfast on hers, but Marshall was nowhere to be seen.

As she set her bag down, his voice startled her.

"May the Force be with you," he said, setting coffee down on her desk.

"Jesus, I didn't hear you."

"Stealthy, we Jedi are," he spoke like Yoda before smiling and meeting her gaze.

"Well, Happy Star Wars Day, Yoda," she said returning the smile.

"You know," he began as he made his way around her desk and took a seat facing her, "even Han Solo believed in the Force in the end."

"Really? Hmm. That's interesting," she stated, taking a sip of coffee and watching as Marshall did the same. Then she added, "Didn't he also get the girl?"

She laughed as Marshall tried not to choke on the hot coffee.

"Star Wars Day celebratory movie marathon?" she asked as she stood and looked down at him.

"Of course," he responded hoarsely, still trying to recover from her previous comment. "My house, 7pm?"

"I'll be there." As she walked by him toward the conference room, she bent down and whispered in his ear. "I expect you to be wearing those pajama bottoms."

He watched her walk away, stunned by the suggestion in her voice and thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. He shook his head and stood up to collect himself when she stuck her head out of the conference door.

"Oh, and Marshall," she called innocently, "make sure your light saber is fully charged."

* * *

**Love? Hate? Am I a tease? Whatever your thoughts, would love to hear them.**


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